DoSomethingCEO OP t1_is6vh97 wrote
Reply to comment by Gloomy-Vast-1875 in Today is National Absentee Ballot Day, DoSomething’s own civic holiday. Ask me anything about voter registration, absentee voting, myths around mail-in voting, why the youth vote matters, or anything else about your rights at the polls this November. by DoSomethingCEO
Lots to unpack here. Before we do that, a reminder that you can register to vote in 2 minutes with DoSomething and request your absentee ballot here.
There is a major myth that voting by mail is less secure than voting in person. Mail-in voting has received a lot of attention these past few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the truth is that it has been around for a long time.
Absentee voting goes as far back as the Civil War, and no-excuse absentee voting (voting by absentee even if you are physically available on Election Day, just for the convenience of it) has been a thing for about 40 years now. Even prior to this election, every state offers some form of vote-by-mail, whether for an approved excuse or just convenience. Because states have been doing this for a while, they have A LOT of measures in place to make sure that mail ballots are secure and that election integrity is maintained. Here are some examples, sourced from the Brennan Center for Justice:
Verifying identity: Voters must provide their personal information and signature, which election officials match against voter rolls.
Bar codes: Some states assign barcodes to each ballot, making it easier for officials to track ballots and identify duplicates. Voters can also use them to make sure their ballots have been received.
Secure drop-off locations: Some voters opt to drop-off their ballots in a designated location prior to Election Day, and states take steps to make them as secure as possible. Drop boxes are constructed to be tamper-proof, and they’re often supervised by election officials or equipped with security cameras.
Penalties: States discourage voter fraud (which is a federal crime) by enacting their own criminal and civil penalties in addition to the hefty fines and prison sentences available under federal law.
Take3tylenol t1_is7db9r wrote
That's not a myth. Mail-in voting is significantly less secure than Absentee for one simple reason. Verification. Absentee ballots have to be requested and independently verified by signature when submitted and by photo ID when requested. As far as mail-in voting goes. Some states even put forth legislation to bypass signature verification. Oddly enough, the rejection rate of mail-in votes was astronomically lower in 2020 than any previous years. Thoughts, Propagandist?
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